The Oskaloosa Herald ran this front page, top of fold. I thought you might
like to see it. Carrie Ann Morgan at INHF did a good job.
If you'd like to comment on the article, go to:
http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=2153745&BRD=1623&PAG=461&dept_id=1
80614&rfi=6
Although the article doesn't mention this, Iowa Sierra Club acknowledged
their efforts with and award in 1997.
McAdams, Buenger earn award
William Penn professors are named co-winners of Hagie Heritage Award
Pat McAdams and Glenda Buenger of Rose Hill, both of whom teach at William
Penn University in Oskaloosa, have been selected as co-winners of this
year's Hagie Heritage Award, one of the largest conservation awards in Iowa.
The award is presented each year by the Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation and
recognizes Iowans who have demonstrated an outstanding volunteer commitment
to conservation and improvement of the natural environment. McAdams and
Buenger are being recognized for their activism in saving the Eddyville
Dunes and their years of conservation dedication and volunteerism.
As Hagie Award co-winners, the couple will receive a hand-carved acorn
sculpture donated by Dennis and Linda Schlict of Center Point and $1,000.
"Pat and Glenda are excellent choices for the Hagie Award," said Mark
Ackelson, INHF president. "Their work is a constant reminder of how two
individuals have an enormous impact on the land. They have given endless
hours protecting and restoring Iowa's ecosystems."
What started as a family tradition with their two children, Ben, 13, and
Neo, 15, turned into environmental activism. Ben invented the term
"prairie-scoping" to refer to family field trips investigating contents of
road ditches and prairie patches.
"We just grabbed the Peterson Guide and if we saw a white flower we didn't
know, we looked up pictures of white flowers until we found it," Buenger
said.
Years later in 1996, armed with prairie-scoping experience and botany
knowledge, they stumbled across a wet prairie remnant that contained
state-listed species including the threatened ornate box turtle and the
endangered pale-green orchid. This hidden ecosystem was discovered in the
Eddyville Dunes, an area formed thousands of years ago by wind-deposited
sand.
Intrigued, the couple inquired about the area and discovered the Iowa
Department of Transportation planned to build a highway bypass through the
prairie. Thinking the unique area should be protected, McAdams and Buenger
worked long hours to gain grassroots support and the backing of several
government agencies. They were able to persuade the IDOT to relocate the
bypass to avoid the best part of the habitat.
"We both decided when we get old, we want to say that we did everything we
could do," McAdams said. "Eddyville is ongoing; the real work is just
starting."
McAdams and Buenger have always been inquisitive about plants and nature.
"It's hard to tell where academia stops and conservation begins," said
McAdams, an assistant professor of earth science at William Penn. Buenger,
who teaches art at Penn part-time, also manages a native prairie seed
business and has donated large quantities of seed to county, state and
federal restoration projects. She is an active member of the Iowa Prairie
Network.
McAdams is involved with Keokuk and Mahaska County and youth environmental
education field days and assists with an Eagle Badge in geology for a local
Boy Scout chapter.
Both have donated countless hours to the Mahaska County Conservation Board.
McAdams and Buenger were selected from a field of eight Iowans nominated for
this year's award. The selection committee noted that this year's task was
unusually difficult not only because of the outstanding accomplishments by
each nominee, but also the difference of the nature of activities between
the candidates.
One committee member said, "It's exciting to see how a small band of people
can influence the land in a variety of ways." Another said, "The nominees
showed determination, courage and tenacity."
McAdams and Buenger were nominated by Jane Clark, activist and volunteer in
Des Moines; Loren Lown of Pleasant Hill, natural resource specialist with
Polk County Conservation Board; and Robert Sayre of Iowa City, author of
"Take the Next Exit: New Views of the Iowa Landscape."
Clark said McAdams' and Buenger's efforts are inspirational.
"Pat and Glenda have won the respect of both the conservation community and
outside specialists, while raising the consciousness of thousands of Iowans
who otherwise would never have known of this fascinating area of prairie,
sand dunes and wetlands," Clark said.
This is the 12th year the INHF has presented the Hagie Heritage Award. It
was established by Jan Shindel of DeWitt and Ila Jeanne Logan of Moville in
honor of their parents, Lawrence and Eula Hagie.
INHF is a non-profit, member-supported organization that protects, preserves
and enhances Iowa's natural resources for future generations. The group has
protected over 65,000 acres of Iowa land since 1979.
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